No need to wait more on immigration reform

With eight senators from both parties and the president already in basic agreement, the question about immigration reform centers no longer on whether it will happen but when and in what form.

With eight senators from both parties and the president already in basic agreement, the question about immigration reform centers no longer on whether it will happen but when and in what form.

There is no mistaking the political incentives for quick and comprehensive action. The Hispanic vote is growing both in the nation and, more importantly for political reasons, in some swing states. President Obama won an easy re-election victory in part because of overwhelming support among Hispanic voters, and Republicans who look to the future know that their party will never be able to command a majority of votes if it either resists these efforts or, even worse, continues to bash undocumented immigrants.

Yet what might seem like a new path for the GOP is really a familiar one that got lost over the past eight years. President George W. Bush tried to move the nation forward on the two major fronts, improving border security and establishing a path to citizenship for those already in the country illegally, yet got no party support. Sen. John McCain, now one of the eight joining to come up with legislation, tried to work for immigration reform when Bush called for it but got distracted and turned to the right while running for president and for re-election.

Any real change still has to make it through the divided Republican majority in the House. So while the debate will center on the details of the competing but overlapping plans from the president and the Senate, the ultimate form of the legislation will still come down to some basic political considerations. Will the more extreme members of the House try to block or delay the efforts or will they see the same political wisdom that has enlisted the support of many Republican senators?

It will be hard to find anyone against one essential element, improving border security. More effective surveillance and effective border-crossing patrols will help ensure safety as well as control the flow of any tempted to sneak into the country for other reasons.

Even more important will be the details on that path to citizenship. Whether you live along the Rio Grande or the Hudson, you know that many of those who work in the fields and in the kitchens, who mow the lawns and who join the day-labor crews are living in the shadows when it comes to documentation.

A plan to let that estimated 11 million people get jobs, pay taxes, pass a test for a driver's license and buy car insurance will boost the economy, not drag it down. Provide a mechanism for undocumented immigrants to get work and you save time and money on enforcement, both public and private. That's why so many business organizations are encouraged by this new attitude in Washington.

The innocent victims of the previous stalemate, the children born here but with parents who might be deported or brought here as infants, will get the chance they deserve to earn a diploma and serve the country in many ways.

Getting it right is still important, but getting it done is the real goal.